Violence on the screen

We live in a violent society. There is little doubt about this given the number of crimes that take place on a daily basis. There have been incidents of violent crime across Karachi in particular and also in Punjab. In this situation, the addition of violence from computer games is a trend that simply adds to the violence in society and can in some cases lead to murder or abduction.

In February 2022, a teenage boy shot four members of his family, including his mother, two sisters and a brother according to police reports, after playing the battleground computer game PUBG, which is widely available on Xbox, computer screens, mobile phones and other devices. The game involves violence and has been said to cause psychological problems in some cases.

In 2021, a young man in Islamabad was reported to have murdered two of his friends after a dispute that originated while playing PUBG. In, 2020, a 20-year-old man in Quetta reportedly committed suicide after being scolded by his family for excessive gaming. The family alleged that his addiction to PUBG led to his depression. The same year in Lahore, a 16-year-old boy took his own life after missing a mission in the game. Authorities cited the game as a contributing factor.

Of course, not all those who play the game are affected, but the consequences can be serious for those who are in some ways influenced by the content they see before them and their access to the game, which also allows ‘players’ to speak to each other. Perhaps the best example of this is the extraordinary case of the teenager Dua Zehra. The child, who according to her parents, was aged between 13 and 14, apparently spoke to one of her opponents while playing PUBG on the computer screen. Her father had requested her not to continue these conversations with the unknown man and Dua took the conversations to different games. A child cannot be blamed in any way for such acts.

According to the account of events told by her family and their lawyer, Jibran Nasir, the girl was asked by the young man with whom she was speaking to come outside her house at a certain time. She had gone outside late at night. The parents say that at the time they thought she had gone to throw out garbage from their home in Karachi. Instead Dua Zehra was apparently kidnapped and taken to Punjab. It is thought this may have been done because the age of marriage in Punjab stands at 16 years for girls and 18 for boys while in Sindh it is 18 for both genders. The parents of Dua Zehra fought a long battle for her recovery and return to the safety of her home.

Initially Dua Zehra had stated before the Lahore High Court that she had married of her own free will. A medical examination at that time showed her age to be between 14 and 15 years. Some reports suggest she was placed nearer to 16 or 17. This fact has been contested fiercely in court as well as the manner in which the relevant tests were conducted. There has been a new development in the case with the matter taken to the Sindh High Court by the parents who were allowed temporary custody of the girl. They were in June this year allowed full custody of the girl who the court notes can make her choice in marriage once she is an adult at 18.

It should be noted that the right of a Muslim girl to choose her partner in marriage was declared by the Supreme Court in 1996 when Asma Jehangir took up the case of Saima Waheed, the daughter of an influential cleric, who had married of her own very will and decided to leave her home with the man of her choice. The victory in the case meant that Saima and her husband, Arshad, were able to unite and eventually be taken abroad for their safety. But of course, Saima was 22 years old at the time, an adult and able to make judgments about her own future. Dua Zehra was merely a child with the Sindh High Court ordering a new medical examination which put her age at closer to 14 rather than beyond this.

The message here is the violence that can be caused by video games of various kinds which are accessible to children and of course older persons across the country. PUBG has been banned in China. The dangers of PUBG have been discussed in other countries as well. In response to multiple cases linked to PUBG, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) temporarily banned the game in July 2020, citing its addictive nature and adverse impacts on players’ mental health. The ban was lifted after a few weeks following public outcry and promises by the game’s developers to address concerns. In March 2021, the Lahore High Court ordered the PTA to ban PUBG again, referencing its detrimental effects on youth. However, this ban was short-lived and was lifted after further review.

PUBG, according to experts, is addictive and can lead to changes in mental behaviour as well as psychological changes which affect the ability of a person to think rationally and to act in a manner that a normal human being would choose. The ability now available to reach out to other players through speakers makes the whole affair even more dangerous. Dua Zehra, it seems, came under the influence of a fellow player after playing PUBG for many hours. Similarly, the teenager who committed murders is said to have remained locked in his room for hours playing the game and coming to believe that those he shot would come alive once again as happened in this violent video game.

While the decision by the Sindh High Court in the Dua Zehra case is welcome and it is reassuring to many that the child has been returned to her parents after stating freely that she wished to go with them, there is a need to watch what children in particular as well as teenagers are consuming on the screen. There is after all a difference between children or minors and those who have reached the age of majority. There is an argument that this age should be the same across the country to save situations where victims such as Dua are taken to a different province. But there are many complexities here.

What is not complex however is that violent video games are dangerous and that all those who act in a supervisory capacity in some way should look out for the damage they can cause or the effects they are having on younger people.

The writer is a freelance columnist and former newspaper editor. She can be reached at:

kamilahyat@hotmail.com